Bayonne Police Officer Charged with Use of Excessive Force During Arrest

Bayonne Police Officer Charged with Use of Excessive Force During Arrest

NEWARK, NJ—A Hudson County, New Jersey, man was arrested today and charged with violating a defendant’s civil rights by using excessive force during an arrest that took place in Bayonne, New Jersey, as well as falsifying records in an attempt to conceal the alleged crime, Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Police Officer Domenico Lillo, 44, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was arrested by federal agents this morning and after a federal grand jury in Newark returned an indictment charging him with the deprivation of civil rights under color of law and falsification of records. Lillo had his initial appearance and arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark III in Newark federal court. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On the early evening of Dec. 27, 2013, Lillo and other police officers from the Bayonne Police Department went to an address in Bayonne to execute a Sussex County arrest warrant. Lillo allegedly struck the subject of the warrant with a flashlight while the individual was handcuffed and not resisting arrest, which resulted in bodily injury. Lillo allegedly falsified a Bayonne Police Department Use of Force Report related to the arrest with the intent to impede an investigation into the case.

The use of excessive force count with which Lillo is charged carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The charge of falsifying records carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford in Newark, and special agents of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christina Scaringi, with the continuing investigation leading to today’s arrest.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacques S. Pierre of the Special Prosecutions Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven G. Sanders of the Appeals Division.